Forged in Fire (Delos Series Book 3) Read online

  She was sleeping deeply, but then, she’d worked eight-hour days seeing more than twenty patients a day. Lifting his hand, Matt smoothed her hair with his fingers, luxuriating in the sleek, clean strands. Even in the weak light from the bathroom, he could see the molten gold color playing between his fingers. His heart broke open with such a fierce flow of emotions that it caught him off guard. This woman had intrigued him with her dancing, her lithe, graceful body, but it was her heart that ensnared him as no one else’s had before.

  He lay there on his back, one arm around her shoulders as she slept. She had an innocence that touched his soul and made his heart swell with need for her. He loved her idealism and her powerful maternal instincts. And he thought about Dara carrying his child one day.

  Matt had never gone this far with anyone else. Sure, he’d had other women, but Dara was the first woman to have aroused thoughts of marriage and kids in him. At this moment, he was closer to her than he had been with any previous partner. He knew he was falling deeply in love with Dara, but what he didn’t know was whether there was real hope for a future together. He had four more months on his enlistment before he could get home to see her. Dara was a busy doctor with a career in the making. Once she got back to the USA, would she have room in her life for a serious relationship?

  His brows drew down as he contemplated possible answers. He himself was going to become busier than ever once he left the Army. Artemis Security would take up all his time and he knew that Tal was already working hard to bring it online, waiting for him to join her. Thank goodness she had Wyatt Lockwood, the man she loved, at her side, helping out for now.

  Matt would take over his role as chief of KNR once he got there, letting Tal take some time off from work. He knew his big sister had a bad habit of running herself into the ground. It had always been hard for Tal to ease off the throttle and rest. He hoped Wyatt would help her short-circuit that tendency.

  Still, Tal was the company’s CEO, and she had Alexa’s and Matt’s divisions to handle until they could leave the military.

  Matt moved his head to the side, inhaling Dara’s scent. This woman had a body that was so damned graceful and flexible, and capable of such strength … God, he was grateful to have found her. Few people ever realized how much athletic ability belly dancing took. He’d never loved a woman who was a dancer, but Dara took feminine strength and flexibility to a whole new level of pleasure for them both.

  Matt feared little, but he did fear losing her. He’d just found Dara, and he was damn well not going to let her go unless she asked to be released. Then he would do so out of respect for her wishes. But it would shatter his heart, and he knew he would ache for her for a very long time.

  No, he couldn’t see it happening. Not with the way they’d loved one another tonight. Sure, it was hungry sex because they’d both gone a long time without it. But there was clearly much more than lust between them. Her kisses were sweet, searching, and filled with such emotion that he felt an avalanche of tenderness whenever he was with her.

  Dara shared the sweetness of life with him, those vulnerable feelings he’d always held close, shielding them from the harsh life he led. But Dara drew them out of him as easily as he drew in each breath and released it.

  Matt closed his eyes, wanting to shut out reality for just a little bit longer. Tomorrow night, Dara would be taking a C-5 back to Rota, Spain. From there, she’d get a flight to Andrews Air Force Base, just outside of Washington, D.C. And then, she’d be home.

  Amazingly, Dara lived in Alexandria, Virginia, which wasn’t that far from the military base. All he could do was hope that she would be eager to see him again once he was released and back on American soil for the Christmas holiday. She had, thank goodness, accepted his Christmas invitation, and he could proudly show her off to his family. He would be fantasizing about their next time together until then.

  Had five days been enough to solidify their relationship? It had to be. Matt knew he needed to have faith that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Life wasn’t for the weak or the frightened. It never had been. And he needed a mate, his lioness, to be as strong and courageous as he was.

  Despite her tendency to worry and her vulnerabilities, Matt suspected that deep down, Dara would prove to be all the lioness he was seeking—and so much more.

  CHAPTER 11

  Dara wanted to hold on to last night. She entered the white van and greeted Mohammed with a smile. He wished them all a good morning as they climbed in. Today, her last day, they were going out to a nearby Afghan village. It was a “safe” one, Maggie had assured her and Callie.

  Callie made this trip once a month, and when she did, she brought along either a physician, like Dara, or a dental or eye team. This time, she would set up a medical clinic for the women and children in the village.

  Matt helped her into the van, riding shotgun, sitting in the front passenger seat with the driver, his M4 available. She saw him put on the safety, but he seemed far more serious than earlier. He was focused and intense—fully in warrior mode.

  Callie climbed in next, and Beau Gardner took the last third of the seat as they scooted over to make room for him. He slid the van door shut and they were off.

  Dara was glad there were two Delta Force operators with them today. She felt jittery about leaving what little safety there was in Kabul or Bagram. The village was thirty-five miles north, near the slopes of the mountains. It was in a small, water-rich valley. Callie had tried to assuage her fear about going, and having Matt and Beau along settled her civilian nerves. Callie acted like nothing was wrong at all. It was like a walk in the park. She was used to driving to outlying villages to render medical, eye, and dental assistance.

  Yet, Dara had seen longing on Beau’s face for just a moment when he’d looked at her sister earlier. Was there something between them or not? Dara wasn’t sure.

  Her body was pleasantly sore this morning from making love with Matt a second time at four a.m., an hour before they had to get up, shower, and get ready for this village run today. The morning sun was slanting across the flat desert landscape as Mohammed chatted in Pashto with Matt. They left the safety of Bagram, heading north on a two-lane black asphalt highway. Dara tried to relax, her hands knotted in her lap. Matt had urged her to wear hiking boots today because villages were muddy in the winter, and it was no place for a nice pair of leather shoes.

  Not only that, he had his huge ruck with him, the one that weighed sixty-five pounds. Beau had one, too. These men went prepared for anything. Matt assured her it was standard operating procedure to go outside the wire as if they were on a mission. Their rucks carried a little of everything that would help them survive, which didn’t make Dara feel any better.

  The pack she carried held some protein bars and several quarts of water because the village did not have a well. Few did. Most relied on a nearby stream or river. In this case, the village sat near a small river, Callie had told her. And the water could be foul or polluted, so it was best not to drink from it.

  Dara had worn a dark green headscarf pooled around the shoulders of her heavy nylon jacket. She was grateful for her leather gloves because the late November weather was colder than she’d have expected for a desert. Callie had laughed at her and told her that where they were going, on the slope of the valley, the mountains surging high above them, it got well below freezing at night.

  Plus, the mountains hovering over this narrow valley made their own weather, and snow could fall in the blink of an eye at this time of year. Dara was glad Matt made her wear a heavy pink wool sweater she’d picked up in New Zealand years before. The merino wool was warm over her long-sleeved dark blue cotton tee beneath it.

  How Dara wanted to be back in the Eagle’s Nest with Matt! She studied his profile as he gazed ahead, constantly looking for trouble spots as they traveled down the nearly deserted road at seven in the morning. He had his rifle in a chest sling, the barrel up and pointed at the windshield.

  She saw
Beau’s M4 was also in the same ready position. Dara knew enough to recognize that the operators were on full alert.

  When she’d tried to get Callie to tell her more about this trip, her sister had just shrugged and told her it would be a lot of fun. In earlier years, Dara had not gone out to any villages. She’d always stayed at the Hope Charity in Kabul. She hadn’t been sure this trip would be a good idea, but Callie cajoled her, sharing sweet stories about the babies who needed her help, and explained that these villages had no way to get to get any medical assistance. That had persuaded Dara, and she didn’t regret her decision—yet. But it didn’t take away her awareness that she had a right to feel nervous. The market blast in Kabul had set her on edge as never before. She was simply not cut out for the kind of world that Callie thrived in.

  The desert began to shift and change in nature. Now they were slowly climbing, gaining elevation, and suddenly Dara could see snow-capped mountains in a U shape around them in the distance. These were fourteen-thousand-foot mountains, rugged and powerful looking. They reminded her of the type she’d seen in New Zealand years earlier. These had sharply pointed peaks thrusting up out of the earth, dominating the valley. Soon enough, halfway through the small, narrow valley, she spotted the thin ribbon of a dark green river off to their left. There were trees, although the leaves had been shed for the year, leaving a lot of bare branches following the course of nearby water. The trees were like skeletons to Dara; they were gray, thin, and starved looking. Like the people who struggled to survive here in this godforsaken country. Afghanistan was one of the poorest nations on earth.

  Mohammed slowed the van and turned off onto a heavily rutted, muddy road. It had obviously rained up here from what Dara could see. She didn’t know the elevation, but it appeared much higher than the desert floor. There were wheel ruts created by carts drawn by donkeys or horses. The van jolted along at a very slow speed. Dara gripped the arm of the seat, constantly jostled around. There was a copse of trees resembling pines, their green limbs making it look like a gauntlet or corridor that the van would have to crawl through.

  Matt sat up, far more alert. What scared Dara was that he had just taken the safety off his M4. Did he see something? What? She craned her neck, trying to see what he saw. Beau removed the safety from his weapon, as well. That sent adrenaline leaking into Dara’s bloodstream.

  The van moved sideways as Mohammed fought to keep it on the road. Dara gripped the arm tighter, her gaze moving quickly from one side of the road to the other. Matt and Beau were on full alert, braced, as they continued to scan the enclosed area. Dara could see nothing. This stretch of the road to the village was walled by sixty-foot pine trees and brush that blocked the view.

  Her heart started to beat a little harder in her chest.

  She saw Matt speak quietly into the mic that lay close to his lips, but she couldn’t hear what he said. Who was he speaking to? Beau also wore an earpiece and mic, too. She was not at all familiar with what Matt did; it alarmed her. There was such a feeling of danger hanging over them it was hard to ignore, but she told herself that it was only her imagination. Seeing the two Delta Force operators put the rifles to their shoulders sent alarm bells ripping through her, and her knuckles whitened around the arm of the seat.

  Dara was about to ask what was going on when suddenly, the windshield shattered. The glass exploded inward, like glittering ice shards thrown throughout the van.

  “Get down!” Matt roared, aiming his M4 out the shattered window.

  Dara lurched for the floor. Callie did, too. The deep-throated firing of the M4s hurt her ears, and Dara felt the van wobble.

  Mohammed screamed as the van skidded sideways. A thunk, thunk, thunk of bullets was fired into the careening vehicle.

  Dara closed her eyes, biting back a scream. She felt the van suddenly lift off on one side. They were crashing! Oh, God! Clinging to the floor, Callie near her, Dara knew they were all going to die. This was an ambush! She heard Matt’s voice above the roar and Beau answer. The sounds were cartwheeling around her and she panicked as the van fell on its side, sliding off the road. It plowed into the tree line and came to a sudden, abrupt halt.

  Dara gasped as she was hurled upward and flung across the seat, slamming into the side of the van. She felt pain in her arm as she crumpled into the sliding door. It was now partly open, mud oozing through the crack. The M4s roared, returning fire. There was a chut-chut-chutting of rifles outside of the van, and the sounds converged. Dara’s ears hurt. She couldn’t hear anything. On her hands and knees, she twisted her head, seeing Beau firing slowly and carefully out the shattered rear window. But where was Mohammed? She lifted her head, unable to see him. She saw Matt with the M4 firing, each time slow and accurate.

  Then, for a moment, the firing stopped.

  “Get out!” Matt ordered. He kicked open the passenger door, leaping out. Beau cursed, trying to open the sliding door, but it was jammed. He grabbed Callie, throwing her forward between the two front seats.

  “Exfil!” he yelled, pushing her to the right. Matt was there, catching her as she was pushed roughly out the passenger-side door. Instantly, he placed himself between her and the wall of the trees, his M4 lifted, ready to fire.

  Beau reached back, grunting as he hauled Dara off her knees, pushing her past him and guiding her through the opening to the front of the van.

  And there was Mohammed, slumped against the door, dead. Half his head was gone! Dara choked, and before she could cry out, Matt reached in, jerking her into his arms, hauling her out of the vehicle.

  Beau leaped out, right behind her. His face was a mask, his eyes narrowed as he warily searched the wall of green before them.

  “Take her,” Matt snapped, guiding Callie to her feet. “Get into the hills to the west! We need to separate. We can’t go together. Once you get hidden, call for help from Bravo. Wait until the QRF arrives.”

  “Roger that,” Beau said, gripping Callie’s arm. She’d fallen into the muddy road, her hands and knees covered. He moved swiftly to the rear of the van, jerking open a door, and pulled out both rucks, bringing one over to Matt. Quickly, Beau shrugged his on and grabbed Callie’s hand.

  “Come on,” he ordered. “Stay low and stay close to me, Callie.”

  Matt took the ruck, shrugging it over his shoulders, swiftly belting up. He pulled Dara to her feet and he quickly guided her across the road from where the van lay on its side and headed into the brush. Twigs and branches swatted at Dara’s eyes and face, and once they were in the brush, they halted and crouched together. Breathing hard, gripping his gloved hand, Dara gulped, panic racing through her.

  He turned. “We’ve been ambushed,” he told her in a low, raspy voice. “It’s a large, unknown Taliban force. Beau and I are splitting up so we don’t lead them into the village. We’re heading for the mountains. Beau will take to the hills in the opposite direction with Callie. He’ll be calling in for help from Bagram with his sat phone. In the meantime, we need to get as far away from this van as we can. By splitting up, we split the enemy forces and fewer of them can follow each of us. It puts the odds more in our favor if there’s a firefight.”

  Dara gave a jerky nod, her throat tight, terror sizzling through her.

  Matt looked around, keeping crouched, keeping her close to him. “Are you injured, Dara?”

  She gulped, shaking her head. “Just—scared.” For a second, she saw the sympathy in Matt’s eyes. But then it was gone. His gold eyes were hard and brittle with alertness. Now she was seeing him for the warrior he was. “W-what do you want me to do?”

  He took her gloved hand and guided it to the web belt at his waist. “Hold on to my belt. Try not to walk on large sticks because they’ll break and make a sound. The more noise we make, the sooner the Taliban will locate us. Do the best you can and stay very, very close to me.”

  “Do you know where we’re going?”

  “Up this mountain to hide,” Matt rasped, looking around, his rifle up, hand near
the trigger. “I know this area well. There are a lot of caves up higher. And there’s a pro-American friendly Afghan village on the other side of this mountain.”

  “But isn’t there one a few miles away?”

  “We can’t go into that village because the Taliban will follow and kill innocent civilians while trying to find us. We’ve got to draw the Taliban away from that village. It has no way to defend itself, Dara.” He turned, looking at the clouds gathering over the peaks of the mountains, and scowled. “The Taliban have Stinger missiles sometimes. They can blow a Black Hawk helicopter that tries to land and rescue us out of the air.” He brought her close, squeezing her against him. “We have to get far enough away from this group and lose them. Then I’ll call in on my sat phone and have a helicopter pick us up. Are you okay?” He searched her eyes.

  It all made sense. Dara swallowed hard, her throat dry and constricted. “I’m okay. But Callie …”

  “Beau’s as good as I am,” Matt reassured her quietly, holding her stare. “Callie’s in the best of hands. He’ll give his life for her if he has to. Don’t worry.” He released her, guiding her fingers around his belt. “Let’s go. Remember, try not to step on anything that will crack or make a sound.”

  It was harder to do than Dara thought it would be. She didn’t want to be separated from Callie, but she understood Matt’s strategic reasoning. Nor did she want that unprotected Shinwari village to be attacked. Beau was a big unknown to her, but Matt wasn’t. He moved with lethal silence, rifle up and ready, the hunter, not the hunted. She felt like the prey, clinging to his belt, her eyes locked on the ground in front of her. Wind gusted through the area, the pines around them singing. As peaceful as they sounded, Dara knew Taliban were somewhere nearby, hunting for them. Oh, God, what would they do if the enemy captured them? Judging from the grim look on Matt’s hardened features, she didn’t want to know. She suddenly thought she heard harsh, angry voices behind them, and they sped up. It had to be the Taliban looking for them! Adrenaline shot through Dara.